looking at buying my first boat! 1995 Glastron 19ft ssv195

alright so this guy is selling a 1995 glastron ssv195 he said he would take 1800 firm no lower. this is his description of the boat

Its a 19ft ski boat with a mercrusier 3.0 liter four cylinder boat needs minor things runs good interior in good shape floor solid just needs gauges and throttle linkage connected boats like this are selling for six grand plus in excellent shape just a little work boat will be in excellent condition no low ballers.

he has texted me some pics and we have talked and stuff looks like a real nice boat just missing gauges like he said and didnt look like the throttle lever was even on there. but he said it just needs hooked up.

he told me later that he had hooked up the coil wires backward and fried the ignition module. but compression tests good and all.

so my question is does anyone have a rough estimate of how much one of those ignition modules are and if that is what actually would get messed up by crossing wires on the coil and what else it could be. he said it ran good before that.

and lastly if this is a good deal and i should take it on as my first project boat i would like to only put maybe a couple hundred bucks in it to have it just on the water.

thanks all comments and input appreciated in advance

Re: looking at buying my first boat! 1995 Glastron 19ft ssv195

I would see/hear it run first. After the hard winters we have had lately it have a cracked block or anything. My thinking is there is a reason it was "let go" to the shape it's in and robbed for parts.
That said, Glastron is a quality hull. What drive does it have OMC? OMG Mercruiser good. Volvo?
The 3.0 is a good motor BUT you NEED to keep up with the maintenance on them or can go bad quickly.
For a first boat I would be looking at something that runs before you go into project mode.

Re: looking at buying my first boat! 1995 Glastron 19ft ssv195

I have to agree with cr2k. When I read the sellers description, I instantly thought there was some major reason the helm is so messed up. Maybe it was robbed for parts, but why? Used, replacement gauges are not expensive. Is the engine the original equipment on that model and is it the original engine?

Somebody neglected this boat, which make everything on it suspect. Definitely check out the stringers and bulkheads.The floor may seem solid, but that doesn't mean the underlying support system is what it should be.

In the price range you are looking at, there will be plenty wrong with a boat. Bus, as cr2k said, for your first boat, make sure it is not a project.

Good luck...

Re: looking at buying my first boat! 1995 Glastron 19ft ssv195

I agree ... $1,800 FIRM is too risky for a boat that won't start. "Engine needs minor things..." on CL can really be the kiss of death. If they are so minor, why not fix 'em and get $2,500 for the boat?

Consider the boat a project, until you've run it on the water. Pay accordingly if you decide to buy it.

Re: looking at buying my first boat! 1995 Glastron 19ft ssv195

Too many questions come up, like what was he doing that he removed or unhooked the coil, why is the throttle linkage disconnected, WAY too many things like that in the description. Owners like this generally think they are giving out good pro-sales info when in essence all they do is give clues as to why it is in such a mess that they do not want to do anything but get rid of it.

If the flooring is solid and the compression is good and the block is not cracked, i.e. pressure check cooling passages, then $1000 tops.

Re: looking at buying my first boat! 1995 Glastron 19ft ssv195

And consider this when looking at ANY boat: The only person that will Lie to you more than a person SELLING a boat is a fisherman about "the one that got away".

If you are new to boating it would be worth a few hundred to take any potential purchase to a marine shop and have an inspection done. If the owner balks at this run! Things found wrong give you bargaining power too. Get estimates for repair costs.

Please keep in mind we are not trying to poo poo your choices just want you to have a positive first experience.

Re: looking at buying my first boat! 1995 Glastron 19ft ssv195

wow thanks for all the help guys i really didnt expect so much feedback. greatly appreciated.

yea like you guys said about all the stuff not being there and not hooked up. it definately threw the exact same questions in my head. and i did ask him why there are no gauges and he told me that they were stolen. which threw me. why would someone just come and steal someones gauges of all things on the boat.

and i was talking to him and i did ask him if he could let me hear it run and he said he would but i couldnt make it out there yesterday then he must of went out there and tried starting it or something because a couple hours later i got the text telling me he hooked the coil wires up backwards and said he checked the compression and it was all good(i would definatly have to see for myself) and he dropped his price to 1800 from 2200

basically im not sold on the boat or situation either. i just needed some second opinions to help sway my decision lol.